The confession

Fifty years ago, the majority of American Catholics confessed their sins regularly to a priest. But now only 2 percent of Catholics go regularly to confession, and three-quarters never go, or go less than once a year. To traditionalists, this might seem like a sign of decline in the post–Vatican II era. But according to John Cornwell, author of “The Dark Box: A Secret History of Confession,” this isn’t the first time Catholics have largely abandoned confession. The practice has evolved…

Giuseppe Maria Crespi (Lo Spagnuolo), Saint John of Nepomuk Confessing the Queen of Bohemia, 1743

I love going to confession. Now that's something you don't hear every day. But it’s true, and it’s one of the weirdest things about me. As a general rule, the Sacrament of Reconciliation tends to freak out even the most devout Catholics. It's not that I’m really good or

The dreaded screen. Around this time of year, older Catholics like my mother talk about fulfilling their Easter Duty. By that they mean going to confession at least once a year (although just about every priest I've ever met would say we need to partake in the sacrament of reconciliation much more often). The thought of going to confession for the first time created a lot of anxiety in me despite the fact that our CCD teachers and priests did a great job explaining how important the…

Aside from the odd TV series, women's prisons are shrouded in mystery. This is what it's really like working as an officer in one of them.

Alessandro Magnasco, also called Lissandro and Lissandrino (Italian (active Genoa, Milan, Venice, and Florence) 1667–1749)

This is a priest's eye view of confession.

Visit the post for more.

“Very well, my child,” says the priest, as he leads the man into the confession booth, “Tell me about your sins.” “Well, Father,” says the guy, “On Monday, I was at my girlfriend’s house, and, well… the two of us alone, the house empty… I sinned, Father.” “Don’t worry, child,” says the...